Families remember Oklahoma tornado victims

By Ashley Fantz, CNN

Updated 1530 GMT (2330 HKT) May 30, 2013

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Kyle Davis, 8, was among 24 who died during the tornado that pummeled Moore, Oklahoma, on Monday, May 20. He was at Plaza Towers Elementary School when the twister hit. His parents called him "Hammy."

Hide Caption

1 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Megan Futrell, 29, was found protecting her infant son, Case.

Hide Caption

2 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Case Futrell, 4 months, was found dead with his mother.

Hide Caption

3 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Jenae Hornsby, 9, was a third-grader at Plaza Towers.

Hide Caption

4 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Tawuana Robinson called her daughter as the tornado hovered and told her she was in a closet.

Hide Caption

5 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Terri Long, 49, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

6 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Sydnee Vargyas, 7 months, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

7 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Karrina Vargyas, 4, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

8 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Antonia Candelaria, 9, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

9 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Sydney Angle, 9, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

10 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Emily Conatzer, 9, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

11 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Nicolas McCabe, 9, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

12 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Leslie Johnson died in the twister.

Hide Caption

13 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Christopher Legg, 9, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

14 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Deanna Ward, 70, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

15 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Randy Smith, 39, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

16 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Cindy Plumley, 45, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

17 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Hemant Bhonde died in the twister.

Hide Caption

18 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Jenny Neely, 38, died in the twister.

Hide Caption

19 of 20

Photos:Victims of the Oklahoma tornado

Victims of the Oklahoma tornado – Shannon Quick,40, was at home with her mother and two boys when the tornado struck. She died from injuries suffered from debris cutting open her midsection.

Hide Caption

20 of 20

Story highlights

Mother kept calling for her boys before she died

Kyle Davis, 8, was a good student who loved soccer and his older sister

Tawuana Robinson called her daughter as twister hovered, telling her she was in closet

Christopher Legg loved sports, horsing around with his Dad

Kyle Davis was 100% boy. He loved going with his grandpa to see Monster Trucks, and would hoot and clap whenever one of those giant things would roll over and crush a smaller car. Because he was a good kid and got A's and B's, his family would sometimes reward him with a trip to the lake and let him ride his four-wheeler around.

The 8-year-old was a force on the soccer field. His stocky build earned him a nickname: "The Wall."

"Kids just bounced off of him," Davis' grandfather Marvin Dixon said Wednesday. "He just loved being with his Pawpaw and I loved being with him. I'm just going to miss him."

Kyle was among 24 people who lost their lives Monday when a massive tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma, just outside Oklahoma City.

He was one of seven children who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – An aerial view of the destruction caused by the massive tornado that struck areas south of Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20, shows the magnitude of damage left in its path. The storm's winds topped 200 mph as it carved a 17-mile path of destruction through Oklahoma City suburbs. On Tuesday, May 21, CNN sent photographer David McNeese to capture the story from above:

Hide Caption

1 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – The storm, which touched down near Newcastle, Oklahoma, spanned 1.3 miles. Some areas along the path were completely flattened.

Hide Caption

2 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Officials from the National Weather Service gave the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20 a preliminary EF5 rating -- the highest score on the scale that measures tornado intensities.

Hide Caption

3 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – The tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs, hitting the town of Moore the hardest. It packed winds that topped 200 mph.

Hide Caption

4 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said.

Hide Caption

5 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – The devastation in Moore was so complete that the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape.

Hide Caption

6 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – A group of homes was reduced to rubble.

Hide Caption

7 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Debris from homes and structures was strewn for miles around.

Hide Caption

8 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – In some areas, the homes of an entire street were destroyed.

Hide Caption

9 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Rescuers and first responders immediately began searching through the rubble of structures on May 20.

Hide Caption

10 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Large trees were uprooted and flattened.

Hide Caption

11 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Given its breadth and power, the tornado ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

Hide Caption

12 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Homes in some areas were relatively undamaged while others very nearby were destroyed.

Hide Caption

13 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – Police, firefighters, volunteers and nearly 180 National Guard troops joined forces Tuesday in searching the rubble and securing areas hit by the storm.

Hide Caption

14 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – In 1999 and then again in 2003, Moore took direct hits from tornadoes that took eerily similar paths to 2013's twister. The 1999 storm packed the strongest wind speeds in history, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb said.

Hide Caption

15 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – A section of a bridge outside of Oklahoma City was blown off its foundation.

Hide Caption

16 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – The path of the tornado is clearly visible with dirt and debris painting a wide path across the Oklahoma landscape.

Hide Caption

17 of 19

Photos:Photos: Destruction from above

The path of destruction from above – The scene -- block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools -- left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma's infamous tornadoes reeling.

JUST WATCHED

Loved ones remember tornado victims

MUST WATCH

JUST WATCHED

Father, aunt grieve for 9 yr.-old girl

MUST WATCH

Father, aunt grieve for 9 yr.-old girl 03:26

His parents called him 'Hammy'

Talking to Marvin Dixon and Kyle's grandmother, Sharon Dixon, it's clear right away that you don't have to ask any questions about the third-grader. So broken-hearted but so full of love and memories for their grandson, they just want to talk about him.

"I could talk to you all day about him because he was our son, too," Sharon Dixon said. "He was always asking, 'Can I stay at your house?' We kept a nightlight on for him because he was afraid of the dark."

"I'm going to miss his smile," Marvin Dixon said. "It would melt your heart, but you also look at it and wonder, 'Bud, what are you up to?'"

"Me and his mom started calling him Hambone and then Hammy because he liked being in front of the camera. I don't think we ever did call him Kyle."

Marvin Dixon dropped his grandson and granddaughter, Kaylee, 11, off at school Monday. Kaylee was struggling to lift her school project out of the car.

The Dixons managed to outrun the tornado in their car. When they were able to turn around, traffic was backed up on the interstate. By this time, the Dixons had Kyle's mother with them. They drove as close as they could to the school, about two miles away, then got out and began running toward it.

As they got closer, they could barely comprehend what they were seeing

Kaylee had somehow walked away from the devastation with a few bruises.

"We're not angry at the school," Marvin Dixon said. "But I want them to get something better for the next time because we can't say this horrible thing won't happen again. I want the kids to have a safer place to go in the future."

Motherleaves behind two young boys

Shannon Quick was at home with her mother and two boys. The debris cut open her midsection, and she lay on the floor, telling her mom she was having a hard time breathing.

Joy Waldroop said her daughter, who was 40, also kept calling for her boys.

"She kept saying,'Tanner! Jackson! Tanner! Jackson!'"

Waldroop consoled her daughter and told her to lay still.

Quick, who was clutching the pants leg of an emergency worker, died.

"All of a sudden her arm went limp," Waldroop said.

She said her daughter had a profound effect on others.

"She was so good," she said. "There's not a soul that doesn't love her."

Just last weekend, Hornsby's 14-year-old daughter and Jenae and all of Jenae's many cousins were at a park in Moore. They had just come from church. The girls were dressing up and joking around, wearing their aunt's wig.

"They loved to dress up and dance to Beyonce, pretend they were Beyonce," Angela Hornsby said. "They would tape each other with their phones and play it back."

The 14-year-old is so upset about Jenae that she's been throwing up and is at home in bed. "My daughter said to me, 'I don't want to sound crazy but maybe she's gonna call me. Maybe Jenae's not dead, Mom.'"